Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress, film producer, and businesswoman. The daughter of actors John Aniston and Nancy Dow, she began working as an actress at an early age with an uncredited role in the 1987 film Mac and Me. After her career grew successfully in the 1990s, Aniston has remained a well-known public figure and established herself as one of the leading and highest-paid actresses in Hollywood as of 2018. Aniston rose to fame portraying Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends (1994–2004), for which she earned Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild awards. The character was widely popular while the series aired and was later recognized as one of the greatest female characters in American television. Aniston has since played lead roles in numerous comedies and romantic comedies. Her box office hits include Bruce Almighty (2003), The Break-Up(2006), Marley & Me (2008), Just Go with It (2011), Horrible Bosses (2011), and We're the Millers (2013), each of which grossed over $200 million in worldwide box office receipts. Her most critically acclaimed roles include the dramedy The Good Girl (2002), for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, and the drama Cake (2014), for which she received nominations for the Golden Globe, Critics' Choice and Screen Actors Guild awards. Aniston co-founded production company Echo Films in 2008. Divorced from actor Brad Pitt, to whom she was married for five years, she is separated from actor Justin Theroux, whom she married in 2015. Early life Aniston was born on February 11, 1969, in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherman Oaks,12 the daughter of Greek-born actor John Aniston and actress Nancy Dow.1 One of her maternal great-grandfathers, Louise Grieco, was an Arbëreshë immigrant.34 Her mother's other ancestry includes English, Irish, Scottish, and a small amount of Greek.5 Aniston has two half-brothers, John Melick, her older maternal half-brother, and Alex Aniston, her younger paternal half-brother.1 Aniston's godfather was actor Telly Savalas, one of her father's best friends.16 As a child she moved to New York City.1 Despite her father's television career she was discouraged from watching television, though she found ways around the prohibition. When she was six, she began attending a Waldorf school.7 Her parents split up when she was nine years old.8 Having discovered acting at age 11 at the Waldorf school,8 Aniston enrolled in Manhattan's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she joined the school's drama society.9 Anthony Abeson was her drama teacher.10 She was in The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window by Lorraine Hansberry and Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov.11 Career Beginnings (1988–1993) Aniston first worked in Off-Broadway productions such as For Dear Life and Dancing on Checker's Grave,1 and supported herself with part-time jobs which included working as a telemarketer, waitress, and bike messenger.1 In 1988, she had an uncredited minor role in the critically panned sci-fi adventure film Mac and Me. The next year she appeared on The Howard Stern Show as a spokesmodel for Nutrisystem,12 and moved back to Los Angeles.13 She obtained her first regular television role on Molloy in 1990, and appeared in Ferris Bueller, a television adaptation of the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off; both series were quickly canceled. She starred as a teenager going to summer camp in the made-for-television film Camp Cucamonga (1990), and as a spoiled daughter followed by a vengeful leprechaun in the horror film Leprechaun (1993).14 A 2014 retrospective from Entertainment Weekly identified Leprechaun as her worst role,15 and Aniston herself has expressed embarrassment over it.16 Aniston also appeared in two more failed television comedy series, The Edge and Muddling Through,17 and guest-starred in Quantum Leap, Herman's Head, and Burke's Law.1819 Friends (1994–2004) Depressed over her four unsuccessful television shows, Aniston approached Warren Littlefield at a Los Angeles gas station asking for reassurance. The head of NBC entertainment encouraged her to continue acting, and a few months later helped cast her for Friends,2017 a sitcom that was set to debut on NBC's 1994–1995 fall lineup. The producer originally wanted Aniston to audition for the role of Monica Geller,21 but Courteney Cox was considered more suitable. Thus, Aniston was cast as Rachel Green. She was also offered a spot as a featured player on Saturday Night Live, but turned it down to do Friends.22 She played Rachel until the show ended in 2004. The program was successful and Aniston, along with her co-stars, gained worldwide recognition among television viewers. Her character was widely popular and was later recognized as one of the greatest female characters in American television.2324 The actress received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations (two for Supporting Actress, three for Lead Actress), including a win for Lead Actress.25 She was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and won in 2003 as Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. According to the Guinness World Book of Records, Aniston (along with her female co-stars) became the highest-paid television actress of all time with her $1 million-per-episode paycheck for the final season of Friends.26 Her character's relationship with Ross Geller, portrayed by David Schwimmer in the show, was widely popular among audiences, and the couple were frequently voted as television's favorite couple in polls and magazines.27 Following a four-year hiatus, Aniston returned to film work in 1996, when she performed in the ensemble cast of romantic comedy She's the One.28 Aniston's first starring vehicle was Picture Perfect (1997), in which she played a struggling young advertising executive opposite Kevin Bacon and Jay Mohr. While the film received mixed reviews, it was a moderate commercial success,29 and Aniston's performance was more warmly received, with many critics suggesting that she had screen presence.30 In 1998, she appeared as a woman who falls for a gay man (played by Paul Rudd) in the romantic comedy The Object of My Affection,31 and the next year she starred as a restaurant waitress in the cult film Office Space.32 She starred in the independent dramedy The Good Girl (2002) as an unglamorous cashier who cheats on her husband. The film was a commercial success in limited release, taking in over $14 million in North America.33 Film critic Roger Ebert declared it her breakthrough: Aniston's biggest commercial success to date is the comedy Bruce Almighty (2003), in which she played the girlfriend of a television field reporter (Jim Carrey) offered the chance to be God himself for one week.35 With a worldwide box office gross of $484 million,3637 the film was the fifth-highest-grossing big screen production of the year.38 Aniston next starred as the old classmate of a tightly-wound newly-wed in the romantic comedy Along Came Polly (2004), opposite Ben Stiller,39 which placed number one at the North American box office, earning $27.7 million in its opening weekend;40 it eventually made $172 million globally.41 Continued film success (2005–2013) In 2005, Aniston appeared as an alluring woman having an affair with an advertising executive in the thriller Derailed, and as an obituary and wedding announcement writer in the romantic comedy Rumor Has It.4243Both films were moderate box office hits.4445 Aniston took on the role of a single, cash-strapped woman working as a maid in the independent drama Friends with Money (2006), which received a limited release.46 Her next film was the romantic comedy The Break-Up (2006), alongside Vince Vaughn, in which she starred as one half of a couple having a complicated split when both refuse to move out of the pair's recently purchased home. It received mixed reviews but grossed approximately $39.17 million during its opening weekend and $204 million worldwide.47 The A.V. Club's Keith Phipps gave the film a negative review, stating, "It's like watching the 'we were on a break' episode of Friends stretched to feature length, and without the blessed relief of commercial breaks or the promise of Seinfeld around the corner."48 CinemaBlend gave the film a positive review stating, "In an era of formulaic romantic movies that bear no resemblance to reality, The Break-Up offers a refreshing flipside."49 In 2006, Aniston directed the short film Room 10, set in a hospital emergency room and starring Robin Wright and Kris Kristofferson, as part of Glamour's Reel Moments film series.50 She noted that she was inspired to direct by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who also directed a short film that year.51 In 2007, Aniston guest-starred in an episode of Dirt—playing the rival of Courteney Cox's character52—and in an episode of 30 Rock, playing a woman who stalks Jack Donaghy.53 For the latter she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.54The 2005 comedy drama Marley & Me, with Aniston and Owen Wilson as the owners of the titular dog, set a record for the largest Christmas Day box office sales ever with $14.75 million. It earned a total of $51.7 million over the four-day weekend and placed number one at the box office, a position it maintained for two weeks.55 The total worldwide gross was $242.7 million.56 Her next film in wide release, the romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You (2009), in which she starred opposite Ben Affleck, grossed $178.8 million globally57 and ranked number one at the United States box office for its opening weekend.58 While it received mixed reviews, Aniston, along with Affleck, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Jennifer Connelly, were praised by critics as stand-outs in the film.5960 Aniston appeared as the former wife of a bounty hunter (Gerard Butler) in the romantic comedy action film The Bounty Hunter (2010). The film was panned by critics, with The Hollywood Reporter writing that "the mishmash ends up as a thoroughly unfunny adult cartoon."61 Nevertheless it was a box office success, garnering over $130 million worldwide.62 A lukewarm box office reception greeted her next film, the romantic comedy The Switch (2010), in which she starred with Jason Bateman as a 30-something single woman who decides to have a child using a sperm bank. The film's opening weekend drew what The Hollywood Reporter dubbed "a dispiriting $8.4 million."63 The film received generally mixed reviews, with review site Metacritic showing 13 out of 30 critics delivering a positive verdict.64 In 2010, Aniston was also a guest star on the season two premiere of ABC's sitcom Cougar Town, playing a psychiatrist.65 Her announcement that she would appear on Cougar Town garnered excitement and was dubbed her return to television. The A.V. Club wrote, "role is is a funny bit, and it highlights just how much Jennifer Aniston is built to be a TV star."666768 In 2011, she starred opposite Adam Sandler as an office manager posing as the wife of a plastic surgeon in the romantic comedy Just Go with It,697071 and played a sexually aggressive dentist in Horrible Bosses.72 Just Go with It and Horrible Bosses both made over $100 million in North America and $200 million worldwide.7374 Aniston appeared in the comedy Wanderlust (2012) with Paul Rudd,75 with whom she acted in The Object of My Affection and also Friends, as a married couple who join a commune after losing their money and deciding modern life is not for them.76 The script for Wanderlust, bought by Universal Pictures,77 was produced by Judd Apatow.7879 Wanderlust received positive reviews but was a box office failure, grossing only $21 million worldwide, against a production budget of $35 million.80 Aniston starred as a struggling stripper who agrees to pose as a wife for a drug deal, with Jason Sudeikis, in We're the Millers (2013). The film received mixed reviews from critics,81 but was a financial success, grossing $269 million against a budget of $37 million.82 Recent roles (2014–present) Aniston played the role of a stoic socialite who becomes the target of an ill-planned kidnapping plot in Life of Crime (2014), a film adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1978 novel The Switch.83 The film was released in limited theaters, to positive reviews.84 Catherine Shoard of The Guardian described her performance as "endearingly comic"85 and Eric Kohn of Indie Wire wrote that "Aniston tops any of her recent performances with a spirited turn that harkens back to her neurotic days on Friends."86 She also reprised her role for Horrible Bosses 2 (2014).87 In Cake (2014), Aniston starred as an astringent woman named Claire Simmons who struggles with chronic pain.88 The film received mixed reviews; however, Aniston's performance was highly praised, dubbed by some critics as "Oscar-worthy."89909192 The Toronto International Film Festival called her performance "heartbreakingly good",93 Gregory Ellwood of HitFix stated, "It's really on most people's radar for being a rare dramatic turn for Jennifer Aniston, and she doesn't disappoint." He further stated, "Aniston makes you believe in Claire's pain. She makes you believe this character is at her lowest point and only she can pull herself out of it. ... It's a complete performance from beginning to end and she deserves the appropriate accolades for it."94 For her portrayal, Aniston was nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, and SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.9596 In 2015, Aniston starred as a reluctant therapist in the screwball comedy She's Funny That Way,97 which received mixed reviews and found a limited release in theaters, but her performance was once again noticed. Wesley Morris of Grantland called her "one of the great screen comedians. ... Most of her scenes here are extraneous, but her vulgarity and tartness are so sharp that the movie needs them. ... This isn't just Aniston having the best stuff. It's her having the most fun with her talent. She's funny in every way."98 She was "one of the film's few bright spots" for Lou Lumenick from The New York Post.99 Aniston starred as the recently divorced mother of two children in the romantic comedy Mother's Day (2016), directed by Garry Marshall, and opposite Julia Roberts and Kate Hudson.100 The film was panned by critics and a moderate commercial success.101 In 2016, she voiced a workaholic and overprotective mother in the animated film Storks, alongside Andy Samberg and Kelsey Grammer,102 which was released to mostly positive reviews; it grossed over $183.4 million with a $70 million budget.103104 Her last 2016 film role was that of a frigidly cold head honcho of a company in the comedy Office Christmas Party, directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck and opposite Jason Bateman and Kate McKinnon.105 It made $114.5 million globally.106 In The Yellow Birds, a war drama directed by Alexandre Moors, Aniston portrays the mother of a deceased soldier, alongside Alden Ehrenreich, Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, and Toni Collette.107 While she said she does not "normally gravitate toward being in war films", she made an exception because the film was "written so beautifully and in such a way she had never experienced".108 The film, first presented during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, received a VOD release in June 2018.109 The Los Angeles Times wrote in its review: "Toni Collette and Jennifer Aniston as the soldiers' quite different but equally concerned mothers, deliver uniformly naturalistic performances".110 In December 2018, Netflix released the musical comedy Dumplin', with Aniston as executive producer and star—marking her first project for a streaming service.111 That year her first original Netflix projects were also announced: Murder Mystery, a mystery comedy that reunites her with Adam Sandler,112 and First Ladies, a film about the first lesbian President of the United States, with Tig Notaro as her wife.113 Aniston and Reese Witherspoon will star in the morning show drama series Top of the Morning for Apple. The series will be the first time Aniston returns to television in a main role since Friends.114 Personal life Aniston practices Hatha yoga and Budokan karate.157158159 In 2014, she spoke of her Transcendental Meditation practice.160 The following year, she revealed she has dyslexia, which had affected her education and self-esteem, and that after being diagnosed in her 20s, her outlook toward life changed. She stated, "I thought I wasn't smart. I just couldn't retain anything. Now I had this great discovery. I felt like all of my childhood trauma-dies, tragedies, dramas were explained."161 The actress is a Democrat, donating to Barack Obama's presidential campaign and taking part in a fund-raising lunch for Hillary Clinton during her 2016 Presidential campaign.162163164 Relationships Aniston met Brad Pitt in 1998; their relationship was widely publicized in the press.165166 She married Pitt, after two years of dating, on July 29, 2000, in a lavish Malibu wedding.167 For a few years, their marriage was considered the rare Hollywood success.1 On January 7, 2005, they announced their separation,168 and finalized their divorce on October 2.169 During their divorce proceedings, there was intense speculation in the media that Pitt had been unfaithful to Aniston with his Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie, whom he started dating soon after the split.170 In the following months, the public's reaction toward the divorce was reported in the press, and "Team Aniston" and "Team Jolie" T-shirts appeared throughout the country.170 Aniston commented on the divorce in a January 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, stating that: "Nobody did anything wrong.... It was just like, sometimes things happen."161 In 2005, amid reports that their divorce was due to Aniston's refusal to have children with Pitt, Aniston stated to Vanity Fair, "I've never in my life said I didn't want to have children. I did and I do and I will! ... I would never give up that experience for a career." Aniston also revealed that the divorce prompted her to reach out to her mother, from whom she was estranged for nearly a decade. They initially became estranged when Nancy talked about her daughter on a television show and wrote From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir (1999).171172 Aniston has also stated she was devastated by the death of her longtime therapist, whose work helped make her separation from Pitt easier.51 She said her relationship with Pitt, which she does not regret, was "seven very intense years together" and that "it was a beautiful, complicated relationship".173 Aniston started a relationship with actor, director, and screenwriter Justin Theroux in May 2011. The following January they purchased a home in Los Angeles's Bel Air neighborhood for roughly $22 million.174 They became engaged on August 10, 2012175 and were married on August 5, 2015 at their estate.176 They separated at the end of 2017.177 Roles & Filmography Roles download.jpg|Olivia in Friends with Money 5cb0403346166e24c237f1f8a123975a.jpg|Katherine Murphy / Devlin Maccabee in Just Go with It Filmography Category:Females Category:Actresses Category:Voice Actresses Category:Humans Category:Adults